To the Moon and Back... Remember? (Hayes Grier Fanfic)

Chapter 5: Storms

~Hayes' POV~

Around 11:30 that night, a MASIVE storm hit. The power went out for an hour and all you could hear was the rain crashing onto the windows. The lightning illuminated the sky and the thunder followed it up with a deafening crack. I was about to fall asleep again when I heard a soft knock on the door. It creaked open and I saw a glint of green.

"Hayes?" Kamree asked, pushing the door open wider. "Can I come in?"

"Ya, sure." I sat up and patted the bed.

She sat down but wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Can't sleep either?" I asked.

She looked up at me relieved and nodded. "Ya. I usually don't have problems with storms. I don't know..."

"Hey... don't worry about it. Come here." I opened my arms for a hug and she gladly accepted. Instead of letting her go, I slowly fell backward. She dug her head into my chest when the thunder rumbled again, just like Skylynn.

Her breathing got heavier and I thought she was asleep.

"Hayes?"

"Ya?" She wasn't asleep but she wasn't awake. She was right in the middle.

"I just wanted to tell you that I feel completely safe right now. You make me feel... wanted. I really..." She yawned. "I really love you."

Then, she began taking deep breaths and she stilled.

"I love you, too."

~Nash's POV~

The next day, the storm had let up enough that the power stayed on but not enough that we could go out and do something. We had been trapped inside all day. Which means I had to watch Hayes fall for Kamree's little tricks.

She and Hayes had been in the kitchen, making the same cookies my parents had fallen in love with. Cam and I had been in the living room when Hayes walked out of the kitchen.

I made a decision to get to the bottom of Kamree's charades. I barged into the kitchen and immediately got in her face.

"What do you want from us?" She took a step back.

"Whoa, Nash. Settle down. What are you talking about?"

"I saw you go off with that guy yesterday morning. Was it really your cousin? The dog tags you never take off, the bracelet, they're from your boyfriend, right? The ring, it's a promise ring to him. You think you can waltz in here and play Hayes like one of your basketball games? Use him however you please? You can't! There have been too many girls date him to get to me, the money, or the fame. So if that's how you want to play, you can leave!" I was fuming at this point.

She just stared at me. I couldn't read her expression.

"The ring was my grandmother's. She left it to me in her will. The bracelet? It's a reminder of all the malls we'll shop at when my best friend gets out of the hospital with leukemia. And the dog tags..." She closed her eyes. "...were my brothers from the army. This is all we have left of him." Up until then, her voice had been quiet. But when her eyes flew open, she began shouting. "And if I came off as a person who would use somebody to get to selfish, immature, self centered, jerks, then I'm sorry! Maybe next time you shouldn't preconceive about things that you haven't even TRIED to understand! You don't know me!"

The kitchen door opened and Hayes walked in smiling about something, oblivious to what had just happened.

Kamree threw the towel at me and brushed past Hayes. When the front door slammed, he turned to me.

"What did you DO?!" He dropped the bag in his hands, sending flour everywhere.

Before I could stop him, he took off after her.